Monday Morning Quarterback Week 4

Matchup

The Good

The Bad

Joe Flacco is looking more like a championship-caliber quarterback each game. While he was not at his best, the Ravens quarterback threw for 390 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Browns.

Brandon Weeden plays with a ton of effort, but he does not have enough help at this point to help him get the job done. He was just 25-of-52 against the Ravens, and he did not throw a touchdown pass. Weeden appears overmatched against most opponents.

Matt Ryan continues to play like a championship quarterback. The Panthers were primed for a great game, yet Ryan threw for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ryan knows how to make plays under pressure and he is doing that consistently.

The Panthers did a lot better after falling apart in Week Three vs. the Giants, but Cam Newton’s late fumble gave the Falcons the opportunity they needed to score the winning points on Matt Bryant’s field goal with five seconds remaining.

After a pair of frustrating defeats, the Pats took out their frustrations with a late rally against the Bills. The Pats scored 45 points in the second half – 31 in the fourth quarter – in registering their memorable comeback. Tom Brady was magnificent, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

There are losses and then there are devastating defeats. While much of Buffalo’s defeat falls at the feet of the defense, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four interceptions and gave the Patriots an opportunity to operate off of a short field.

The Vikings had their share of explosive plays, but they came from special teams. Quarterback Christian Ponder managed the game well and did not throw any interceptions against the Lions in front of a hostile Detroit crowd.

Ponder was not able to throw any scoring passes. While the Vikings won the game, they need more from him. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could not direct any scoring drives until the fourth quarter. This was a terrible home defeat for a team that considers itself a contender.

Matt Schaub is routinely spectacular. However, there is nothing routine about getting a piece of your ear ripped off one week and completing 20-of-28 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Jake Locker had to come out of the game early after injuring his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Backup Matt Hasselbeck played hard in throwing for 193 yards and two touchdowns, but he was simply not good enough to keep his team competitive.

Philip Rivers did not have to be at his best because the Chiefs were a turnover machine. Rivers made the most of a good situation, completing 18-of-23 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

It wasn’t all Matt Cassel’s fault, but he threw three first-half interceptions that allowed the Chargers to sprint out to a 27-6 lead and get the easy victory. The Chiefs are quickly turning what appeared to be a promising season into a disaster.

San Francisco 49ers

New York Jets

There’s nothing wrong when a quarterback performs the role of the game manager when his team rolls to a 34-point victory. That’s just what Alex Smith did as he threw for 143 yards and did not throw an interception.

The Jets were unable to mount any kind of offense against the physical and nasty 49ers. Mark Sanchez got punished by the Niners defense, completing passes for 103 yards with an interception. Tim Tebow completed his only pass attempt of the game.

The Rams are showing they can be a competitive team at home. Sam Bradford stood up to Seattle’s physical and intimidating defense and he threw for 221 yards while completing 16-of-30 passes.

There would be no miracle this week for Russell Wilson. He struggled to find consistency against the aggressive St. Louis defense and he threw three interceptions.

Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins

It may have come at the expense of a weak Miami Dolphins team, but Kevin Kolb rallied his teammates and the Arizona Cardinals are 4-0. Kolb was at his best when the game was on the line and he threw two fourth-quarter TD passes. Miami rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 431 yards with one of the least impressive wide receiver crews in the league.

The Dolphins had the lead in the fourth quarter, but Tannehill wasn’t quite good enough to sustain it. He’s getting better, but he’s not there yet.

Denver Broncos

Oakland Raiders

After a couple of shaky games that would have left another quarterback doubting himself, Peyton Manning showed he’s still got life. He connected on 30-of-38 passes for 338 yards with 3 TDs and 0 interceptions. He picked apart the Raiders defense.

Carson Palmer was not the efficient quarterback who diced the Steelers’ defense in Week Three. Instead, he was simply ordinary and could not lead the Raiders on one TD drive against a good but not special Denver defense.

Sooner or later, Andy Dalton is starting to get some recognition. When you can go on the road and lead your team to a 17-point victory and do it by keeping your cool and throwing accurately, you are the real deal. Dalton threw for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Blaine Gabbert has shown signs of being a workable quarterback, but he has not demonstrated anything close to consistency. Gabbert was held to 186 passing yards and was not effective.

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have been two of the best quarterbacks in recent years and both put on a great show in Green Bay. Rodgers was relentless in throwing for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Brees passed for 446 yards and 3 TDs while not throwing a pick. Brees has thrown at least one TD pass in 47 straight games, tying the record held by all-time great Johnny Unitas.

Despite the great numbers, Brees could not lead the Saints to the win and they are now buried with an 0-4 record.

Washington Redskins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The education of Robert Griffin III continues, and he is passing most of his tests. He led the Redskins to a road victory over a hungry Tampa Bay team. RGIII threw for 323 yards and also ran for a touchdown. He did not thrown an interception. Josh Freeman led the Bucs back and nearly stole the game for the Bucs with a big second half.

Freeman seems to be concentrating more and looks like a decent NFL quarterback. While he nearly rallied the Bucs to a victory, his slow start put them in a hole.

Michael Vick took a severe beating the first three weeks of the season, but the Eagles improved their blocking and the quarterback did just enough to beat the defending Super Bowl champions. Vick threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and he did not throw an interception.

After a slow start, Eli Manning threw for 309 yards. However his interception into the endzone on the first play of the fourth quarter hurt the Giants in their bid for a road win over their division rivals.